Rex Orange County charged with six counts of sexual assault

Rex Orange County, a singer-songwriter from the United Kingdom, has been charged with six counts of sexual assault from early June.

Born Alexander James O’Connor, the artist has pleaded not guilty to the allegations at Southwark Crown Court. A representative of the artist told Pitchfork, “Alex is shocked by the allegations which he denies and looks forward to clearing his name in court.” His provisional trial date has been set for January 3rd.

O’Connor was accused of sexual assault six times within two days: twice on June 1st in London’s West End and four times on June 2nd in a taxi and his home in Notting Hill. The court has been told that the woman who came forward is older than 16, the national age of consent. O’Connor, age 24, has been given unconditional bail, according to the Guardian.

O’Connor rose to stardom in 2017 with his feature on Tyler, The Creator’s album Flower Boy along with the release of his own songs “Best Friend” and “Loving is Easy” the same year. He now has three studio albums, including Who Cares? released this past March. In July, the artist canceled his 2022 tour for the album due to “unforeseen personal circumstances,” according to social media posts released by the artist.

Musicians’ Union completed a survey in 2019 that found 48% of musicians in the U.K. have encountered sexual harassment in the workplace. As of late, more musicians in the industry have been held accountable for sexual assault and harassment allegations. U.S. R&B artist R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison just weeks after the time O’Connor’s alleged incidents took place. While abuse in the music industry is not a new phenomenon, more victims have been speaking out about it.